Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Time for a mini project series.
This is part 1 of a 2 or 3 (it is still a work in progress as of this upload) project series. Part 1 is to make a pump that can pump oil, in this case, relatively thick oil (again I still have not settled on the grade, but SAE 250 is the likely outcome).
I also need a pump that can be driven off a separate motor using rotational motion, can handle a bit of pressure, and should be able to run for years without maintenance. It will also help if I can make it in the workshop using my manual machines.
In this case, I think an external gear pump is the obvious choice. Full transparency, I have never made one of these before, but with regards to the design, efficiency is not something I considered when designing this. It does not need to be efficient, pump speed will not matter. It just needs to be able to pump to roughly 30 PSI and not leak. If it does that, it will be considered a success.
So, lets get started.
Building a gear pump
External gear pump build
Hydraulic pump build
External Hydraulic Gear Pump Build
Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
4:20 - Machining The Gears
7:45 - Making The Plain Bearings
9:57 - Making The Pump Housing
20:46 - Making The Screw/Pins
22:10 - Test Fit No. 1
2:23 - Making The Hose Connector Fittings
24:36 - Assembly and Test Run
26:38 - How Does a Gear Pump Work
27:22 - Fixing The Issues - New Gasket and Countersink
Time for a mini project series.
This is part 1 of a 2 or 3 (it is still a work in progress as of this upload) project series. Part 1 is to make a pump that can pump oil, in this case, relatively thick oil (again I still have not settled on the grade, but SAE 250 is the likely outcome).
I also need a pump that can be driven off a separate motor using rotational motion, can handle a bit of pressure, and should be able to run for years without maintenance. It will also help if I can make it in the workshop using my manual machines.
In this case, I think an external gear pump is the obvious choice. Full transparency, I have never made one of these before, but with regards to the design, efficiency is not something I considered when designing this. It does not need to be efficient, pump speed will not matter. It just needs to be able to pump to roughly 30 PSI and not leak. If it does that, it will be considered a success.
So, lets get started.
Building a gear pump
External gear pump build
Hydraulic pump build
External Hydraulic Gear Pump Build
Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
4:20 - Machining The Gears
7:45 - Making The Plain Bearings
9:57 - Making The Pump Housing
20:46 - Making The Screw/Pins
22:10 - Test Fit No. 1
2:23 - Making The Hose Connector Fittings
24:36 - Assembly and Test Run
26:38 - How Does a Gear Pump Work
27:22 - Fixing The Issues - New Gasket and Countersink
